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Academisation

I write to let you know that, following a long period of thought and careful consideration, the Governing Board have decided to join a multi-academy trust with a group of other schools. Called the Central Cooperative Learning Trust, this is a group of four excellent local primary schools, all with a track record of high standards, compassion and support for each other and their communities.

This step is not being taken because the school is failing, or that there has been a drop in standards. We are immensely proud of our school and our community. Redbrook Hayes is an incredible place to learn, our children make exceptional progress in their learning and as people, and we continue to go from strength to strength. We are choosing to join a team of other high performing schools to work with them, learn from them and share our expertise too. This is the key reason for the decision – it will benefit our children and the school.

Our Governing Body’s priority is to enable the school to continue to enable an inspiring learning adventure for our children, while protecting the school’s role at the heart of our community and retaining its unique qualities and strengths. We would keep our own name and uniform, the term dates would not change, and we would maintain our ability to do what’s right for our children and community whilst benefiting from being part of the Trust.

There are lots of other positive outcomes of this. We will have more freedom to innovate, to learn from others and to create incredible experiences for our children, as well as sharing what makes Redbrook such a fantastic place. We have already been working with Central Cooperative Learning Trust on a range of strategies that you won’t have seen directly, but have also been able to benefit from events for the children too – some of your children may have been involved in PopUK or the Inclusive Sports event. We know the other schools well, have made sure that they have the same approach to teaching and learning as we do and stand for the same things. What makes Redbrook Hayes special will not change.

The Governing Body has therefore agreed to consult on joining the Trust with a view to converting to Academy status from 1st February 2019. This consultation is open to all, including school’s parents, pupils, staff, pre-school and the wider community. We want to hear your views and establish if there is any significant objection for the Governing Body to take into account when making its final decision. The consultation period will end at 12.00pm on 5th December 2018.

We are, as always, committed to hearing from you. We value your thoughts and opinions and appreciate that our partnership is critical, and so we want to make the consultation process as effective as possible. As such, the consultation will include:

A video presentation so you can hear the reasons for the change in your own time. This can be found below

The opportunity to talk to me on the gate informally

An invitation to book a meeting with me to discuss any specific questions

Bookable appointments to speak to me on the Parents’ Evening (this is now live on the booking system)

We want to know your views, to hear any concerns you may have and to answer your questions, and hope that the options above mean you can do this. In addition, a feedback form is included with this letter. If you wish to provide any feedback, please ensure this is sent to your School Office by midday on 5th December 2018.

Questions from this week!

Question

Answer

Will the school be run like a company?

No! Though there are changes to the way the school’s back office systems work, the school will keep its identity, its values and the things that make it unique – you shouldn’t notice any change day to day.

Will there be any impact on SEN funding for individuals?

No! The money is ringfenced for these children and is sent in its entirety to the school.